New Mexico 2026

Cost

• $3,000 (Airfare, hotel, meals, transportation, and park entrance fees are not included.)

• $1,000 non-refundable deposit due on signup. Balance of $2,000 due by October 15, 2025

• Free 2 Hour Image Review and Processing Bonus Session after the tour to help with processing questions

Tour Objective

To come home with high-quality and memorable images of the diverse birdlife of New Mexico.

Description

One of nature’s true spectacles is witnessing the clouds of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese that call New Mexico their winter home. It is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears and is something you will never forget. We will have an abundance of opportunities with these species and we will be able to capture all types of photos of them. We will concentrate on creating beautiful photos of them against snow capped mountains, landing and taking off, displaying, backlit shots, small in frame shots and anything else that you could imagine.

In addition to the cranes and geese, New Mexico is rich in other bird life. Instead of limiting ourselves to one location we will be spending time in a multitude of habitats which provide photographic opportunities with many of the other resident birds of New Mexico. We will visit some local ponds where there are up to 10 species of waterfowl that are tame and approachable. We will also spend time in 2 different foothills habitats photographing songbirds like Cactus Wren, Black-throated Sparrows, Curve-billed Thrashers, Townsend’s Solitaires and Woodhouse’s Scrub Jays.

Bosque Del Apache is a shell of what it used to be and unless something drastically changes with management, we will likely only spend one morning there photographing cranes at sunrise and then we will try and work on flight shots of a few different types of waterfowl.

There are some nearby specialty high elevation birds where the prize species are Black and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches. However due to a banding program the ability to photograph these species will vary from year to year as many or all of the birds may have bands.

Please note that some of the birds that we photograph may be attracted with food, water or playback.

Travel

Fly into Albuquerque and we will be based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. (hotel recommendations and exact locations to be given after deposit). You will be responsible for renting your own vehicle, arranging airline travel and making hotel reservations .

Hotel 

TBD

Schedule

Morning Sessions: We will meet at our agreed upon locations at sunrise, so expect to be up early enough to be ready to shoot at sunrise. Morning locations are all close to our hotels and most mornings will be less than a 20 minute drive to get to our shooting locations. If we have full sun then we will stop after the light gets harsh and go back to the hotel. There will be about an hour drive one morning to get to the top of the mountain for montane species.

Lunch Time: Optional image review session where we will review the images from the morning. We will work on things like processing and composition and I will make suggestions or answer any questions.

After Lunch: we will have some personal time before our evening sessions.

Evening sessions: we will arrive to our evening locations leaving time for some scouting and preparing for the best light of the day. On cloudy days we will limit our lunch and image review time to shoot as long as possible.

In order to make the most of our time and come home with as many high quality images as possible, expect to leave each day early and come back late.

Meals

Most hotels offer a continental breakfast that opens at 6:00 a.m on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. on weekends., which should leave time to grab some food and be on location for sunrise. Lunch and dinner is with the group, if you desire.

What to Bring 

Photography Gear

• There are a large variety of birds which we will photograph between 400mm-600mm (minimum focal length of at least 400mm lens is required). A prime lens or telephoto zoom would be ideal.

• If you own a telephoto prime and a zoom you may want to bring both

• 1.4 teleconverter is optional but highly recommended

• I recommend bringing a back up camera.

• Bring lots of extra batteries and a rapid charger.

• Bring as many  memory cards with as much storage as you can as it is not uncommon to fill up 320gb or more in a single session.

• I also highly recommend bringing a laptop or other external storage to transfer your images from your memory cards.

Other Gear

• Elbow and knee pads if you prefer to lay down for ground level work while photographing.

• Portable chair or pad to sit on if you prefer to photograph while seated.

• Ground pod, monopod or tripod - whatever you prefer to shoot with.

Clothes

• Bring warm winter clothes

• A warm hat and gloves

• Waterproof Coverall is recommended for photographing waterfowl

• Muck Boots

Weather

We will be out in all weather conditions and will shoot in the sun, snow or rain. It can be very cold in in New Mexico. Morning temperatures are often in the teens to low 20’s but can be in the single digits. Daytime temperatures can warm up into the 50’s on some days. I recommend layers so that you can shed them as the temperature warms up. Also it can be very cold and snowy at the top of the mountain so be prepared with ample warm clothing.

Physical Activity

We will be photographing waterfowl at water level with the birds so expect to be laying (or going as low as possible depending on your comfort level) down at the water’s edge or even going a little into the water. For most other species there are only short walks from the car to the best shooting areas. Note that in the foothills, we are at an elevation of about 6,500 feet, and although the walks are not long, you may experience some shortness of breath.

My Responsibilities

I will get you in front of the birds and assist in creating the highest quality photos as possible with each opportunity we have. I will help with obtaining the most pleasing backgrounds and compositions. I will help with field craft techniques and with attracting the birds when needed. I will also put us in the most productive spots to be able to produce high quality photographs of the highest species diversity possible. I will be there to answer all questions and to help facilitate any other needs you may have.

My Ask

Enjoy yourself as much as possible and get cards full of beautiful photos.  I love to talk birds, cameras and gear. I am here to help so anything that you need, please just ask.

Cancellation Policy

Participants will receive a full refund, minus $500, if I am able to fill the canceled spot. If I am unable to fill the canceled spot, I will not be able to refund any of the money.

Insurance

Travel insurance is strongly encouraged. Things can and do happen and travel insurance is the best way to protect your investment.